Building your own kitchen – RUC style

Last year I moved an old house to the farm. It was once a Rugby Union Club, hence I aptly named it the RUC (because I couldn’t think of another name I’m so creative). The RUC is over 100 years old and because it had been vacant for about 8 years (apart from squatters who must have played with guns because they left some lovely bullet holes around the place) it required a lot of work.

I’ve put a few pictures below of the kitchen in case any of you are thinking of building your own (yes – I know you want to, it’s so much work fun!). It still needs a final coat of paint and the skirting boards but it’s very functional.

BEFORE – Sorry it’s a little dark. This must have reflected my mood at the time, knowing how much work fun was involved.

I bought the flat-pack draws, cupboards, bench tops, paint, sink, fixings, wood and flooring from Bunnings (they smile every time I walk into the place).

AFTER – taken from the same angle looking out onto my writer’s nook. The glass in the windows is green but it doesn’t show up in the shot

I put tongue and groove wood on the walls and ceiling and used an old hutch for my pantry.

An old hutch I found at the dump and brought back to life

I found the hutch at the buy-back shop at the local dump. I didn’t get a before picture of it (give myself a stiff uppercut) so you’ll have to use your imagination – it’s was just untreated pine. I removed the glass and replaced it with the same glass that is in my windows. I painted it antique white. In the back of the shed under a load of dust and mud I found some old blue tiles (I’ve always wanted to be an archaeologist) so I cleaned them and grouted them onto the top and back and put one each in the doors.

A close-up of the glass and old tiles – they came up a treat!

Because this place used to be an old club it still has the original bar. This bar is set above my work bench so I actually have two work benches together (space man!)

A view from the lounge room which also features the bar (where I sat last night enjoying a glass of champagne after I took this shot!)

It was a lot of work – but well worth the blood, sweat and tears.

If you’re ever thinking of building your own kitchen I have a load of tips to make things a little easier.

Oh my goodness, I’m in love with that kitchen! I always love looking at homes, both new ones and those that have been renovated. You’ve done wonders with it. And that hutch is fantastic. So creative to use the blue tiles. So, when can I move in? 😉

This kitchen is an absolute pleasure to use. I love the ‘galley’ style because everything is in arms reach and I’ve never had so much bench space. I was stunned with the success of the hutch – it’s amazing the difference a bit of paint and a few tiles can make.

I’m also obsessed with floors because every house I’ve ever lived in has had a crappy floor. The floor in this place is so beautiful that I’ve decided to invest on one of those robot vacuum cleaners (or maybe I just hate sweeping) 😉

I’d love to cook in that kitchen. Love the continuous counterspace! So nice to see an update! I’ve been wondering. 😀 (As for the robot vacuums, I have a friend with 3 cats who swears by them – she has one on each level of her home.)

I just love recycling old things, Nancy. I figure ‘why buy something when I’ve already got something similar’? I also thought it suited the federation style of the house (didn’t know that when I bought it because that was pre-RUC years). It was just sitting in the shed looking a bit old and worn for a long time 😉

The green glass is beautiful but the light was all wrong when I took the shot (and I’m not known for my savvy photography skills!) 😀

The RUC must love its reincarnation back to a private home. It’s lovely to see what you have done. I love white kitchens, and the idea of having a bar to relax at for a drink appeals to me – a familiar environment some would say 😉
Good job on the hutch – I have space-need for a pantry/kitchen cupboad/armoire, and you’ve given me yet another idea – I know the right one will turn up.
I also love the glimpse of your view and that the interior is very much open to it.
Great timing for the post – I was drowning in Excel spreadsheets – just the respite I needed 🙂

The last place I was living in had a huge pantry and I could never find anything 😦 I liked the idea of a smaller pantry so I can see everything when I open it (plus it has the cupboards underneath for the big things like oil and potatoes etc) 😉
White is a good colour to go with because it matches everything (the walls are actually Spanish Cream but they are very light) and the draws are all antique white as is the hutch.

I LOVED sitting at the bar last night – reminded me of my younger days LOL.

We did do all the work ourselves (apart from the plumbing) and it was very satisfying indeed, Hazy! At the end of a big work day we could sit at the bar and have a wine or beer and take a good look at the work. Hubby is an electrician so that saved a fair bit of money 😉

I feel a post coming on from the handy woman Dianne Gray.. “How to have fun building a kitchen”…
Hows the book going or is it published already?
My first draft is finished but the editing is not going well… I keep rewriting sections and then the very next day rewriting them again… aaaargh… hate it…
The RUC is really looking good… and I love your kitchen… as for the hutch I’m impressed beyond words… would loved to have seen the before picture (should you have remembered to take one) but then we know you’re busy so all is forgiven… just love the result though…

The books are in hiatus at the moment (I’ve got three on the go) because I’ve been working on the house (will this renovation never end?)

Editing is one of the hardest things to do and I hate it. When I first started writing I would spend months (years) editing, but at some point I realised that there comes a time when you just have to ‘let it go’ or you’ll be editing forever. Are you going to self publish – or do you have a publisher? (I’m only asking this because a publisher will always get you to edit again and this is one of the main reasons why I self publish).

I’m going to self publish.
My problem is that as it is a book of my growing up years and experiences with the wilds of Africa, it contains a lot of respect for those that taught me the bush craft (my Dad and a Black friend) it is also full of humour, which is where I’m having the problem, its funny to me but will it be funny to others?? and that is what is causing the rewrites… Linda sits and laughs out loud, but she knows all those in the book, I need to source an outsider that can be brutally honest and make suggestions… an old school mate is in the languages game and has said he will do it for me, he needs to make suggestions for rewrites etc… I’m going to have to finish up and send it to him… the only trouble is he’s a Pom (British) and you know they can’t play cricket or rugby and have no sense of humour… but I’m stuck so it will be heading off to him soon.

It’s hard to believe that it’s the same space. It looks so different and well worth all the effort you’ve put in. Isn’t it fun to have a beautiful new kitchen…will your next post be all about the amazing meals you’ve been preparing in there?

You have really brought that old RUC back to life, Diane. The kitchen looks great and I love the hutch! One man’s junk is truly another man’s treasure. 🙂
This may be a stupid question, but how cold does it get there?

We have fairly uniform temperatures throughout the year. Typical daytime min/max temperature ranges are 23C/31C (73F/87F) in mid-summer and 18C/26C (64F/78F) in mid-winter. It’s a lovely climate – the only downside is we can get cyclones which aren’t pleasant at all…

A really beautiful kitchen Dianne, you are the Queen of hardcore up-cycling – taking something used and abused and turning it into something fit for, well, a Queen:-) The way you describe it, though it was obviously a lot of work, I can feel the fun you had making color choices, glass choices, transforming something into so unrecognizable a new state – you’d never know, each room and item in it has a story – hope you’re really enjoying the fruits of all your hard work now. Hugs, Harula xxx

Hey Kath – wonderful to see you here 😀 I thought I was following you and just went to check to see that WP has clicked me off. I took a break from blogging last year and now find that a lot of the people I follow I’m not following anymore (if you know what I mean) 😉

I can’t remember the last time I had a nice kitchen (maybe when I was a child – my mother’s kitchen was lovely) so it’s great to have that much working space, particularly for a messer like me 😉

I’m so glad you like it 😀 I like the colour of the tiles – they’re a really nice blue (you’ll know what I mean by that) 😉 I didn’t think they would go with the green windows at first, but the two compliment each other (thank goodness!) 😉

All your efforts have been so worthwhile, Dianne. Love your kitchen, and that hutch is such a charming feature with the pretty blue tiles. I’m sure you’re really enjoying your house, now that you’ve got it just as you want it. Well done to you and hubby. Thanks for sharing the pics. 🙂

You’re the only one who has noticed the stove is missing, Lynda 😉 It’s still downstairs. It’s a lovely gas stovetop with electric oven and it will sit in the space next to the hutch. I’m just waiting for ten strong men to carry it upstairs (LOL)

Best of luck with your renovation and if you need any help I’m always here. The best thing to know is that when you do it yourself you can make changes as you go along. I had so many plans but it’s not until you start filling in the spaces that you realise what works and what doesn’t. I did the floor first, much to hubby’s disgust. If I were to do it again I would do the floor last because it kept getting scratched while we were moving things in and around – but we live and learn 😀

I love the view from the bar in that last one. Your hutch looks like an antique now. That’s so great that you rescued it and the RUC! The writer’s nook is perfect too. I hope you’re enjoying spending lots of time there.

That is amazing. I can only imagine how much work it was–probably a lot more than you detailed. We need a kitchen redo, but will probably skip it. I want to move to the Final House so why spend all the time you did on a remodel?

So true, Jackie. This is the Final House, hence the extra effort. I’m hoping I don’t have to touch that kitchen again for about twenty years (and by that stage I’ll pay someone to redo).

You’re right about the work – SO many hours went into it that no one else would notice (it took me at least three days to do the floors and I discovered muscles in my glutes I never knew existed!) LOL 😀

Dianne, the place is looking great! So much work you’ve done to make it so bright and inviting. I love the melding of modern and old-time country elements. And I love the writing nook, of course. What a paradise in which to create.

I’ve always wanted a nice kitchen and I guess this is it! The great thing about doing things from scratch is that you can bring dreams to life 😉 The writers nook also doubles as a casual dinner table and it’s not too far to carry the food 😀

Thanks, Letizia 😀 I’m so glad you noticed the ceiling because it wasn’t an easy task building that with the tongue and groove wood. The walls were a lot easier (but my arms got very tired and very strong during the ceiling part!)

Before we started there was only one small window, but I love big windows so I just had to fix some old ones that were lying around in the shed and put them there – it really opens the whole place up 😉

Showing envy is the highest compliment, Billy Ray. Thank you so much! Hubby will be chuffed because he’s obsessed with structure and strength! We have a bit of a joke around here called ‘ten elephants’ – when hubby builds something I always say ‘okay, stop now – it’s strong enough for ten elephants’! 😀

How lovely. I can actually see the reflection of the green windows in your countertops (or, at least I think I can!). I can tell how much work you have put in — but obviously worth the trouble. So beautiful.

Wow, what a difference! That kitchen looks fantastic, and your writing nook looks so inviting—which every work space should be. 🙂 Lots of blood, sweat, and tears to be sure, but the feeling of accomplishment must be wonderful!

The RUC proves that transformational change is possible for us all, Diane. So beautiful. So unique. The only problem I see is that I would never get to the writing nook. I would spend all my time at that bar and in the beautifully lit kitchen. 🙂
{{{hugs]}} Kozo

I love seeing the transformation take place and I don’t realise how much it has transformed until I look at the old pictures and think ‘WOW – it was really bad back then and there was so much work to do!’. But it’s all worth it 😀

Awesome transformation! I absolutely love what you did with the hutch, with the tiles and the painting. It fits perfectly in the little nook there. Thanks for sharing photos and letting us in on your renovation journey! (Have I mentioned that it’s good to have you back online? 🙂 )

I’m so glad you like the transformation. The hutch is really the showstopper and when people come into the kitchen it just blows them away. It’s amazing how something can change so much with a little paint and some tiles! 😉

Wow,what fun to see the transformation! Congratulations. My wife and I redid our kitchen a few years back. She was the brains, I the brawn. There is a peculiar satisfaction in this sort of project, at least for us. What’s next?

This week we’re doing the exterior cladding. It should have been relatively easy, but the clowns we paid to rebuild one of the exterior walls must have been cross-eyed because it’s all over the place and we need to fix it before the cladding goes on 😦

Having said that – it’s a great project and it’s good to have the brains and the brawn working in unison! 😀

I wouldn’t have a clue where to start! My dad was a carpenter by trade but only ever let me sweep up the sawdust in his shed ( he wasn’t a chauvinist, just probably concerned that I might chop my hand off or something on his machines). Magnificent job 🙂

That’s so true – I’m not to use the sawing equipment because hubby is worried I’ll lose a finger (or worse). I’m actually very clumsy so he’s probably right. I’m also banned from getting up ladders (okay – so I’ve lost my balance a few times – meh!) and getting up ladders with power tools is also a big no no! LOL. There is certainly an big element of safety involved so I completely understand where your dad was coming from 😀

Wow the transformation has been amazing! I can only imagine all the work that went into it but you guys have built a home you can truly be proud of. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of the journey. May you guys have an abundance of health and peace in your new home!

I am in awe. To have the creative imaginative foresight to turn something old like this RUC into an absolutely stunning kitchen with windows and views to match, blows me away. I’m so impressed. More photos sometime, please!

More photos on the way soon 😉 We’re just battening down in case this cyclone hits us in the next few days. Once the weather decides to behave itself I’ll be right back into taking pics and writing more blogs 😀

Absolutely fantastic Dianne, love the colour scheme, so fresh, what with the reno and the books I wonder that you have time to keep in touch with us all. Do you ever sleep??? I can see you applying for the next Block series….

Good old Bunnings what would we do with out them. Another BIG hardware place called Masters has just opened up on the GC not been to it yet but friends tell me it is going to be a rival for Bunnings and it is air-conditioned and our Bunnings aren’t….

Wowza…awesome, job! I feel like I’ve been along for the journey from start to finish, with less blood, sweat, and tears of course!

That hutch is so neat. We love snagging vintage furniture, but have never refurbished anything ourselves, though Mr. H has a talent for such things. Tough to do crafty projects like that when you’re in a teeny apartment.

You actually completed it quickly. I’m sure it doesn’t seem that way to you, but I’m SO impressed. We completely redid a much smaller home, and there are still little spots that are not done, 13 years later. Now we need to start over in some areas. 🙂 When you first showed us your project, my heart about burst thinking of all the work you had ahead of you, but look at it now! It’s gorgeous. Everything you saw in your mind. 🙂

That is beautiful – I love looking round your RUC. The kitchen is gorgeous, but here in the UK we would call that a dresser. A hutch is something a rabbit lives in – I spent a good 5 minutes staring at your picture and trying to work out where the rabbit lived! 🙂